So You Want to Know About the Environment

by Bijal Vachharajani

  Inspired by the flamingos, photographer Ashima Narain directed In the Pink, the first-ever ‘urban wildlife’ documentary to focus on this avian phenomenon in Mumbai. Ashima was fascinated by the fact that flamingos were thriving in the midst of a populated metropolis. ‘Here in Mumbai’s own backyard, you have these birds. It’s a fantastic urban phenomenon,’ said Ashima. ‘It’s strange—on one hand, you have this breath-taking sea of pink, yet they are set against a backdrop of a power plant, a ship-breaking yard, petrochemical industries and a fertiliser factory. It’s quite a spectacle.’

  THE ATTACK OF THE NINJA CROW

  Taranjit Chhabra had a strange problem. Whenever she would go outside her house, a crow would come swooping down, cawing loudly and would try to peck her with a very sharp beak on the top of her head. And a crow’s beak is quite sharp, in fact, it’s called ‘the Swiss Army knife of beaks’1 because it can slice, cut and rip through a lot of things. So imagine a Swiss Army pecking away at your head! OUCH!

  It became so bad, that Taranjeet couldn’t go out of her house without ducking and sprinting to her car. Finally, the family decided they needed to decipher the Attack of the Ninja Crow. After careful observations, they deduced that the Ninja Crow was a Mommy Crow. Her nest was in their garden, right above the place where Taranjeet burnt some garden leaves. Garbage smoking is also injurious to the babies’ health. No wonder Mommy Crow became a Ninja Crow.

  After that, Taranjeet stopped burning the leaves there, and Mommy Crow left her alone.

  So what does that prove? Should we all wear helmets to protect ourselves from the Attack of the Ninja Crow?

  It shows that animals are smart, even though human beings think they are smarter. Crows are part of the Corvidae family, and have large heads. They are intelligent birds with powerful memory skills. In fact, one study1 said that they may have the reasoning ability similar to a seven-year-old child. The study which observed New Caledonian crows in New Zealand said that the crows are the only non-primate species that can make tools. These birds fashion hooks to pick out grubs from logs.

  Not surprising that this particular Mommy-Ninja Crow did not forgive Taranjit. Doesn’t it make you wonder that we are surrounded by all sorts of animals, birds, and insects. But we don’t realize how our small actions may have a huge impact on them.

  Then why is anyone stupid called bird brain? Think I am one, huh?

  Just because birds have small heads, doesn’t mean they are stupid. In fact, a German1 study showed that captive European magpies, Pica pica, can actually recognize themselves in the mirror as well. That’s called self-awareness, something scientists until now only believed was shown by chimps, dolphins, elephants, and, of course, us.

  The next time you call someone chicken, remember this study from researchers at the University of California2, San Diego School of Medicine which revealed that chickens had a comparable neocortex physical structure—the part of the brain that handles complex cognitive (of the mind) functions. Now that’s something to cluck about, for chickens at least.

  Birds, for instance, can do things that we can’t. Unlike us, owls don’t have symmetrical ears. That way owls can get to their prey quietly and swiftly in the darkest of nights.

  As silly as a superstition

  Did you know, in some cultures owls are considered inauspicious. So when they come and perch on a tree, happily snoozing away after a night jaunt of rat hunting, people throw stones at them to shoo them away.

  RACK YOUR BRAINS

  It makes you think that if birds are like us—or are we like them—then what about other animals? How similar are we, say, to a rat, a dog, or an octopus? Or what makes us different?

  ◇ Elephants travel in packs, they are super intelligent, they mourn for their dead, and take care of their young ones.

  ◇ Birds know how to navigate and travel long distances, something we can’t do without Google Maps now.

  ◇ Like no two people have the same finger print, no two tigers have the same stripes.

  ◇ Leaf-cutter ants are also farmers with underground fungus farms.

  Do some research and record your observations and findings.

  In some cultures, a black cat crossing the path is considered bad luck. ‘Why did the black cat cross the road?’ ‘Because it wanted to spook humans out.’ Sounds like a silly joke doesn’t it? How can someone crossing a road be bad luck for anyone? Unless they don’t look left and right before crossing.

  Animals are often worshipped—such as elephants and snakes, but at the same time they are mistreated horribly.

  I once knew a rat snake (he was non-venomous, most snakes are not poisonous) who had become blind because humans kept worshipping him and applying red tikka powder on his forehead which harmed his eyesight. When I rescued him from a snake charmer, he was blind as a bat. And had diarrhoea from being starved and then force fed milk, which For Your Information, snakes do not drink. That is a myth. Nor can they can hear very well, so if you’ve ever seen a ‘snake dance’ they are only following the movement of the been, the musical instrument.

  P.S.: If you see a wild animal in distress, don’t handle it yourself. Instead call your local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or Wildlife Authorities.

  THAT’S TERRIBLE. I DO LOVE ANIMALS AND WOULDN’T TREAT THEM BADLY. I HAVE A PAIR OF BUDGIES IN A CAGE.

  So, breaking news: Birds don’t like being in cages. Here’s one such real-life bird story1.

  Shawnu was a rose-ringed parakeet—he sat dolefully on a window ledge. Like countless other birds raised in captivity, Shawnu couldn’t fly because his wing feathers had been clipped. All he could do was hop from one place to another. He sat on the wrong side of the window—inside a house, rather than outside perched on a tree or flying happily with his friends.

  Rescued from a fortune teller by volunteers of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in Mumbai, the rose-ringed parakeet was tiny, almost as if his growth had been stunted from spending a lifetime in a dingy cage the size of an iPad Mini. When anyone came close to Shawnu, he would fluff up his feathers, roll his eyes in fear and make an angry, throaty sound. He constantly groomed himself, to the point that his fragile body was dappled with bald, grey patches. This obsessive, repetitive behaviour called zoochosis is often seen in animals in captivity.

  Who could blame Shawnu for being so angry and frightened of human beings? Although trade in indigenous (local to our country) bird species is banned in India, thousands of parakeets, munias and other birds are snatched from their forest homes and smuggled in atrocious conditions to different parts of the country and the world, destined to live a miserable life in captivity. They are stuffed down water bottles, put inside socks and transported from one country to another.

  Three cheers for the law

  In 2015, the Delhi High Court recognized that ‘Birds have the fundamental right to “live with dignity” and fly in the sky without being kept in cages or subjected to cruelty’ and ‘running their trade was a violation of their rights’. India has strong laws to protect wildlife. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 prohibits the trade in over 1,800 species of wild animals, plants and their derivatives, and so does the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

  But ultimately, this violation of rights is down to our apathy and greed. Our desire for trapping these winged beauties has led to centuries of torture and violence on birds.

  There’s nothing more wonderful than watching a bird in the wild—whether it’s a pair of brown sparrows scratching in the dust, a serpent eagle perched majestically on a tree or an owl peeking out of her tree hole. And you don’t have to visit a forest to watch birds.

  On hot summer days, leave out a bowl of fresh water for birds on your window ledge, and parakeets, mynahs and sparrows will swing by for a drink or two. Or look out of your balcony to watch kites soar gracefully above the cityscape. Free like that, it’s not hard to understand, why the caged birds do not sing.

  Companion
animals

  Do you know PETA doesn’t use the word pets?

  It prefers the word Companion Animals, because aren’t they just that?

  Remember, getting an animal home is a responsibility. You have to feed, bathe, clean their poop, take them for walks. Dogs and cats don’t mind being with humans. But snakes, turtles, fish, birds belong in the wild.

  If you’re considering getting a pet companion animal, then adopt them, don’t buy. Contact your city shelter to adopt a puppy or a kitten who needs a home. After all, animals aren’t 333333333commodities.

  Postcard from Reena Puri

  Johnny, Johnny

  When Reena is not taking care of her many dogs and cats, she is also the editor of Amar Chitra Katha. As a member of Save Our Stray NGO in Mumbai, Reena remembers a dog who couldn’t walk at all.

  Johnny, a street dog, was in a bad shape. The vehicle that had struck him down had crushed his lower back and his spine had been damaged. He could not move at all.

  And then it poured buckets and buckets on 26 July 2005 in Mumbai. The poor dog was stuck with nowhere to go and the water level was rising. One kind person lifted him up and put him on higher ground under a shop’s awning.

  The Save Our Strays ambulance parked outside our friend Namrata’s house became Johnny’s home. We made him as comfortable as possible on a pile of sheets and newspapers. A timetable was drawn up and a few of us volunteers from SOS, living nearby, were given time slots to clean, feed and medicate Johnny every day. He needed someone to do that thrice a day. He needed to be turned as well so that he would not develop bed sores.

  Johnny got used to our coming to take care of him and always rewarded us with a wag of his tail and a lick. He was in terrible pain but would only cry out a bit when we turned his side. He never lost heart while he was with us. He would lie quietly, his beautiful young face watching the door till one of us arrived. He loved the food we brought him and lapped up every bit of it.

  A month passed and then another two weeks. The monsoon arrived and the ambulance could no longer be parked in the open. Animal shelters were full. We moved the ambulance to my parking lot in the society where I stayed. After cleaning and sponging him and when there was hot food in his belly I would often just sit and talk to him. None of us ever got tired of looking after Johnny. We wanted to see him walk.

  Despite all our efforts Johnny developed a nasty bed sore which only grew in size. We needed to clean and dress it every day.

  Finally, we got a message that we could admit Johnny to the Welfare of Stray Dogs in Mahalakshmi. There he was given more medical help and physiotherapy. When we went to visit him he would brighten up and want to come back with us. Johnny died, leaving us feeling empty and bereft. He was very special. He brought so many of us together. He actually cemented the foundation of SOS. He loved each one of us and taught us to spread that love to many more animals.

  TO DO OR NOT TO DO,

  IT’S REALLY UP TO YOU

  ACTION 1

  Let the wild rumpus begin

  If you don’t know what book that quote is from then, ten points from Whatever House You Are In. (Answer: It’s from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are).

  Grab a notebook and pen or pencil, or if you have to, the doodle pad on your tablet. Draw yourself, your family, and friends. Stick figures are totally allowed.

  Now draw the environment around you. Where you live, school, park (if you have one), mall, and so on. Squiggles with labels will also do.

  Next, draw animals, forests, water bodies.

  Sign the drawing. Ok not really.

  Some questions for you:

  •How far are the animals from you? What kind of animals did you draw?

  •How far is the park as compared to your school for you?

  •Is the forest close by?

  •Why did we draw this differently from our ancestors? When did we become the sort of people who don’t like nature around us?

  ACTION 2

  Become a Nature Detective

  It doesn’t matter what your window looks out to. Even if you can barely see more than that grouchy uncle who lives in the opposite house, find a place where you can see some trees. It is not that hard.

  What you really need is a keen eye and a curious nature. Something like the Famous Five and David Attenborough.

  You don’t need a magnifying glass though it helps when looking for insects. But you do need a notebook to record your observations, a flora and fauna book for identification, pen or pencil, and a bag to store all of these in. You can get some excellent material from the Bombay Natural History Society. Look them up online.

  Now step out and look outside.

  LOOK PROPERLY. Stop getting distracted by the TV or tablet. Oh sorry, you can look at the book. That’s totally allowed.

  What do you see outside your window/ balcony/ garden/peep hole?

  Stay still and be quiet, very important skills for an observant detective. For those who are living in concrete jungles called cities it doesn’t mean that flora and fauna aren’t around you. Look closely at a gulmohur tree—you will see rose-ringed parakeets lounging on its spindly branches, creating quite a racket in the mornings and evenings. Or crows and kites that are everywhere, flying from one building to another, or circling lazily for prey in the morning sun. And what about that brown sparrow making circles with its tiny body in the dust? The sparrow, in case you were wondering, is taking a dust bath which helps maintain its feathers.

  Ants, creepy crawlies, dogs, cats, animals, birds, and insects are all around us.

  ACTION 3

  Seasonal help

  If you’re feeling the hardships of the weather, imagine how animals and birds feel? They don’t have fans to keep them cool, heaters to keep them warm, and water filters to give them fresh water in the summer.

  As the seasons change, step into an animal’s furry paws, and try and think what they need. Here’s a suggested list:

  Summer

  It gets really hot in most parts of India, and while we can escape it by swimming or sitting under a fan, animals can’t do that.

  Birds don’t sweat and their body temperatures are much higher than other animals, but they have built-in systems to help them beat the heat. This includes breathing faster, bigger beaks, and bare skin patches that allow heat loss.

  But when the temperatures are soaring, they feel the heat as much.

  Make sure you leave out a bowl of water on your window sill or garden for thirsty birds. Set up a bird house to give them some respite from the sun.

  Keep a bowl of water out for cats, dogs and larger animals as well.

  Monsoon

  When it rains, animals often get stranded. Look out for hurt or injured animals and call a local NGO to come and help.

  Insects often get trapped in puddles, and you can lift them gently with the help of a dry leaf and put them back on a plant.

  ACTION 4

  Hold a wildlife film screening

  Gather some friends or family and watch a wildlife film. This can be any of the following, these are just suggestions:

  •The BBC series Planet Earth presented by David Attenborough: A look into some of the wildest, most beautiful parts of our planet.

  •BBC’s Natural World Special: Queen of Tigers: The story of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve’s Machli, one of the most famous tigers in the world.

  •Ashima Narain’s In the Pink: The film looks at the phenomena of some 20,000 flamingos coming to Mumbai every year.

  •The Bedi Brothers’ Cherub of the Mist: A film about red pandas in the wild. There are barely 1,000 of these elusive animals in the world. The filmmakers go to Singalila National Park in the Eastern Himalayas to find these endangered animals.

  See what’s available in your local library or iTunes, Netflix, YouTube etc.

  Watch a film with your friends and discuss the movie. Put on your film reviewer hat and say what made you like the movie (or not like it), did it make you want to
visit the forest or ocean where it was shot, and what message did the film have.

  ACTION 5

  Collect and create wild words

  What are wild words?

  In his book Landmarks, Robert MacFarlane collects words associated with landscapes. He calls them ‘place-words’. For instance, quealed is a word for vegetation that has withered and curled up. In Cornwall, zawn is a word for a ‘vertical fissure or cave cut by wave action into a coastal cliff’.

  How visual are these words? Can’t you see grass that’s all quealed up under the searing heat? Or a round indentation in a mountain created by water that looks like a deep zawn.

  When you go out into nature, can you come up with your own lexicon? Or pester adults to tell you old, forgotten words for nature.

  For instance, aandhi is such an appropriate word for a sandstorm, because it blinds you as well. Then there’s cloud bobs, a word a friend invented for fat clouds on a sunny day. They do look like blobs of cotton, don’t they?

  So it’s your turn now, collect leaves, gather memories, assimilate words associated with nature. And where you can’t find an appropriate word, conjure them up.

  1 http://conservationindia.org/articles/lantana-in-india-a-losing-battle/

  2 https://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/cbd-ts-01.pdf

  1 https://books.google.co.in/books?id=FrG8pIQ5WJkC&pg=PT59&lpg=PT59&dq=swiss+army+knife+crow&source=bl&ots=_0gIa5tgaQ&sig=hW3mm2eF76MEE9Jjghop8G_QnHM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwidmdewwabJAhWBBY4KHc3gDEwQ6AEIKTAD#v=onepage&q=swiss%20army%20knife%20crow&f=false

  1 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2590046/Crows-intelligent-CHILDREN-Study-reveals-birds-intelligence-seven-year-old.html